1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to input and display systems and more particularly to input and display systems that include touch screens.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Touch screens are input and display devices that enable detecting touch in the display area, so that they operate both as display systems as well as input systems integrated in a single platform. Touch screens are commonly and widely used, for example in automated teller machines (ATMs) enabling the user to select options presented to him through the screen by pressing areas where they are presented.
One problem that occurs is that most touch screen only allow detecting of one touch at a time carried out in one touch point and therefore are limiting to applications requiring multiple simultaneous touch points. Some applications (such as drawing and hand writing related application) require identification of the instrument used to input the drawing/text (e.g. finger, whole hand, stylus, etc.). inputting touch points by hovering (without actually touching the screen surface) may also be problematic in these known touch screen since they require a completely different system for detection, while the hovering input technique may be extremely hygienic and beneficial, especially for touch screen publicly used (such as in ATMs).
There are known touch screens that allow identification of multiple touch points, which allow inputting touch points and drawings by using various inputting instruments such as finger, multiple fingers and styluses, which include invisible conductive lines arranged within the touch screen, where touch is identified by identifying changes in the conductivity and/or changes is signal(s) transmitted through those lines. This method may cause various problems since the conductive lines may change their quality of conducting the signals over time.